The Labour parliamentarian is asking Mr MacAskill to state how many of the additional officers will be allocated to Dundee and Tayside.

“I am asking what will be Tayside Police’s share of the extra 1000 police officers promised in the SNP election manifesto, and when they will begin service,” said Ms Glen.

“The overall decrease in crime levels in Dundee and the increase in the clear-up rate for crimes have made no-one in the city complacent, nor does it diminish the impact of crime on the victims.

“However, with Dundee receiving its fair share of these new officers, the public could feel confident the reductions in crime levels achieved so far could continue.”

Official figures show that overall recorded crime in Dundee has fallen from over 19,000 incidents in 1997 to over 15,000 in 2006/07. The clear-up rate for crimes in the same period rose from 34 to 56%.

The number of number of crimes of dishonesty fell from over 13,000 to over 7700. The number of non-sexual crimes of violence has fallen as well, although police have voiced concern about a rise in robberies.

The justice minister said during a recent visit to Dundee that he wanted to “make sure it is a place where people young and old can walk down the streets without fear.”

He told the Tele that recruitment of additional officers was a key part of their strategy.

But the Scottish Government has faced claims of “smoke and mirrors” after it emerged the “additional capacity” includes both new and retained officers.